Lay of the Land

Miami is feeling more and more like a world-class city, thanks to a revitalized urban core and neighborhoods with distinct personalities.

Miami Beach: South Beach, with its Art Deco buildings and heady nightlife, takes up the lower tip of this barrier island; farther north are the quieter high-rise hotels and condos of Mid-Beach and the luxury cocoon of Bal Harbour.

Downtown: Cultural and sports venues have given the financial district a shot in the arm. Just south, the Brickell area hums with residential and shopping developments.

Wynwood/Design District: Proof that Miami’s center of gravity is shifting away from the beach: these twin neighborhoods just north of Downtown are popping with new stores, restaurants, and galleries.

T+L Insider Video: Miami Made Easy

See + Do

The city’s cultural scene doesn’t end with Art Basel. Here are the essential stops all year round.

De La Cruz Collection: Beverage tycoon Carlos de la Cruz and his wife, Rosa, show their extensive collection of contemporary art in a soaring, three-story space in the Design District. Free docent tours illuminate works by Mark Bradford, Wade Guyton, Rudolf Stingel, and others. On the top floor, the wit of Gabriel Orozco is juxtaposed with the anguished elegance of Félix González-Torres.

Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami: Don’t judge a cultural institution by its size: small but influential MOCA stages intriguing shows by executive director Bonnie Clearwater and hotshot young curator Alex Gartenfeld, as well as permanent outdoor installations such as Mark Handforth’s Electric Tree and Jack Pierson’s Paradise. Next up: Tracey Emin’s first U.S. solo museum exhibition, in December.

Wolfsonian- Fiu: A thoughtful oasis amid the madness of South Beach, Micky Wolfson’s collection of objects is meant to showcase the “persuasive power of art and design.” You’ll see propaganda posters by Ben Shahn, World’s Fair souvenirs, and early- to mid-20th-century household appliances.

Wynwood Arts District: The Goldman family spurred the redevelopment of New York’s SoHo and Miami’s South Beach. Now they’re transforming this former warehouse zone into an arts-centric community. The linchpin: the commission of impressive murals from the world’s greatest street artists (Shepard Fairey; Kenny Scharf; Futura), the best of them corralled into a sort of open-air museum called Wynwood Walls. Other galleries have colonized the neighborhood—chief among them Gallery Diet, Emerson Dorsch, Fredric Snitzer, and David Castillo Gallery—followed by the inevitable hipster hangouts. Now you can order pour-overs at Panther Coffee, shop for clever design objects at Elemental, and down craft beers and $2 tacos with the locals at Wood Tavern.

Khong River House: Lincoln Road is the last place you’d expect to find authentic northern Thai cuisine, but those are real Chiang Mai–style khao soi noodles in coconut-milk broth on the menu. A sister restaurant to the bourbon-and-bacon hit Yardbird Southern Table & Bar, Khong River is done up like a Southeast Asian farmhouse, with tin ceilings, wicker birdcages, and a bar stacked with liquor bottles. It’s still South Beach, after all. $$$

PB Steak: A Fran Lebowitz quote printed on an exposed rafter here—“My favorite animal is steak”—sets the tone at the latest addition to the Pubbelly Group’s mini-empire in South Beach’s Purdy area. Under Edison bulbs and a huge chalkboard menu, locals dig in to tartare sliders, yellowtail-ceviche tacos, and butcher cuts of aged Black Angus. $$$

Restaurant Pricing Key$Less than $25$$$25 to $75$$$$75 to $150$$$$More than $150

Design District: Dresses and shoes may be edging out furniture and tiles, but this 12-block area still makes for interesting browsing. Pop in to the Moore Building to see Zaha Hadid’s Elastika installation, which looks like the world’s worst bubble-gum explosion.

Lincoln Road: Worthy finds among the big chains lining the pedestrian mall include art tomes at Books & Books; stylish men’s wear at BASE; and the glass-box annex of the Alchemist, tucked into a Herzog and de Meuron–designed garage.

Stay

Miami Beach is booming again. Here, the most noteworthy arrivals—and a few long-standing favorites.

The Newcomers

Gale South Beach & Regent Hotel: If you’re young and beautiful and looking for value, you’re staying at the Gale, a redo of a 1941 L. Murray Dixon hotel just a block from the ocean on Collins Avenue. Nightlife is a priority here—Amy Sacco’s Rec Room club thumps in the basement. Handsome rooms are white with navy blue accents; some have balconies with Persian lime trees. $

James Royal Palm: A retro vibe permeates the 393-room Deco high-rise on South Beach—terrazzo floors; mod furniture; a sky-blue and sea-green palette. Thoughtful extras include free Wi-Fi and triple-distilled water, solar-powered beach huts, and an outdoor spa area with salt-scrub stations. $$$

SLS Hotel South Beach: High celebrity wattage (eye-popping designs by Lenny Kravitz and Philippe Starck; tapas by José Andrés; LeBron James sightings) makes this 140-room hotel the center of the South Beach social scene. The sexy poolside Hyde Beach lounge helps, too. Spring for a suite; standard rooms are teensy. $$

The Classics

The Raleigh: Miami is holding its collective breath to see what new owners (the SLS folks and partners) will do with the beloved Deco dowager and its glorious, scallop-edged pool. The changes so far—refreshed lobby furniture and a restaurant from Michael Schwartz—are positive. Our hope: dreary hallways and scuffed furniture will go, bohemian charm will remain. $$

The Setai: Miami Beach’s most grown-up hotel has a serene atmosphere, deferential service, and graceful Asian design. The new Setai Grill is a steak house with extravagant French touches: côte du boeuf with Roquefort sauce; a caviar tin filled with layers of osetra, crème fraîche, and Florida stone crab. $$$

St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort: Across the street from the vaunted retail mecca, this opulent resort draws a well-manicured crowd who are in town to shop, spa, and relax. Beachfront yoga and fitness classes from cult trainers Tracie Wright Vlaun and Christopher Vlaun help offset all the indulgence. $$$$

W South Beach Hotel & Residences: We like the large-for-South Beach studios at this condo-hotel: 500 square feet and up, all with balconies and kitchen facilities. We love the art—co-owner Aby Rosen rotates contemporary works from his collection. On view now: Damien Hirst, Rob Pruitt, Jonathan Horowitz, and others. $$$

On the Horizon

Big international brands continue to put down roots here. Look for Como Hotels & Resorts, Edition, and Faena as well as an outpost of L.A.’s Redbury Hotel.

Hotel Pricing Key$Less than $200$$$200 to $350$$$$350 to $500$$$$$500 to $1,000$$$$$More than $1,000

Local Take

Three Miami insiders offer up their favorite finds.

Nina Johnson-Milewski

Owner, Wynwood’s Gallery Diet

“Visiting the Keni Valenti Gallery is dangerous for my checkbook: he’s a vintage clothing dealer who collects Yves Saint Laurent, Lilly Pulitzer, and other classic designers. Locust Projects has shows by international art superstars like Theaster Gates and Miami’s best talent, such as Christy Gast. My favorite Wynwood watering hole is Lester’s; the owner—my husband—keeps it real with comedy nights, artist lectures, and top-notch espresso from Guatemala.”

Jeff McInnis

Chef at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar

“I grew up in the Florida Panhandle and lived in a VW bus in St. Augustine, surfing and cooking. Miami’s not known for great surfing, but when there’s a swell I’ll bring my board to Haulover Beach. I have a little boat, and it’s fun to go fishing and then head up the Miami River to Garcia’s Seafood Grille($$) for grilled fish and oysters. And I love the old-school feel of Prima Pasta($$), on Miami Beach—it’s got pictures of celebrities on the wall and a ton of character.”

Laure Hédiard Debreuil

Owner, the Webster boutique, in South Beach

“I always keep my eye on local designers, such as Nektar de Stagni—which makes witty pavé pearl earrings with smiley faces and 1970’s-inspired crystal-knot necklaces—and Del Toro, in Wynwood, with its fun loafers, wing tips, and sneakers. On my days off, I like to ride my bike and swim on the beach in South of Fifth, which I refer to as Brazilian Beach, for the barely-there bikinis and striped umbrellas.”

Nightlife

Miami moves beyond the mega-club.

Cocktail culture has invaded the land of Coronas and mojitos: hotels and restaurants now have serious mixology programs, and a profusion of lounges suits every aficionado. The young and hip head to the Broken Shaker, at the Freehand Miami hostel. Regent Cocktail Club channels Mad Men, while Radio Bar is divey, with friendly, tattooed bartenders. TheFlat goes for a more sophisto-sexy vibe, with Helmut Newton photos and charcoal velvet drapes on aubergine walls.